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Re: primary sources



Leigh wrote:

Incidentally, it should be clear to everyone that textbooks are not good
primary sources for historical evidence.

Not only are they not good primary sources, but they aren't primary sources
at all. They are by definition not primary sources for anything other than,
perhaps, as evidence for what the author of the text thinks (or
understanding) of a matter is. At best they can constitute secondary
sources; but quite typically they are more often than not, tertiary or
worse. (Texts tend to copy other texts.)

One exception in some areas - in my opionion - is the Project Physics
Material. I've been doing a paper on galileo and his method for some
university courses I'm involved in.

I may yet do a further paper evaluating some of the textbook
presentations on Galileo.
Out of curiosity - does anyone use th Project Physics material?? How
is it received?? My feeling is that students would _not_ handle it
well here - except for a few in the minority - and they are just as
likely to be taking a maths history or maths English combination.

The potnetial is there for a better presentation of history of
science issues to help science education and to improve science
education in general.

Derek.


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Derek Chirnside, Physics Department, Shirley Boys High School.
PO Box 27 025, Christchurch 8001, New Zealand.
chirnsided@mars.shirley.school.nz
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